Performance Animal Health VA

06/13/2018

PINKEYE VACCINE CHOICES

Ocu-guard MB-1 (BI) Single dose protection against pinkeye caused by Moraxella bovis in cattle 2 months of age or older. Give 2 ml SQ prior to the onset of pinkeye season. Annual booster is recommended.

I-Site Pinkeye (Agrilabs) Single dose for prevention and control of pinkeye caused by Moraxella bovis in cattle 2 months of age or older. Contains 8 Moraxella bovis isolates for broad protection. Give 2 ml SQ prior to the onset of pinkeye season. Annual booster is recommended.

Piliguard Pinkeye-Trivalent Vaccine (Merck)* Single dose protection against pinkeye caused by Moraxella bovis in cattle. Give 2 ml SQ or IM in the neck 3-6 weeks prior to the onset of pinkeye season. Annual booster is recommended. Does not contain M bovoculi

20/20 Vision with Spur (Merck) * 7-way blackleg and pinkeye protection for cattle. For prevention of Clostridium chauvoei, septicum, novyi, sordellii, perfringens Types C & D and Moraxella bovis. Give 2 ml SQ prior to the onset of pinkeye season. Repeat in 3 to 4 weeks and once annually. Does not contain M bovoculi

Alpha 7 MB (BI)* Single dose protection against 7-way blackleg and pinkeye in cattle 2 months of age or older. For prevention of Clostridium chauvoei, septicum, novyi, sordellii, perfringens Types C & D and Moraxella bovis . Give 2 ml SQ prior to the onset of pinkeye season. Calves vaccinated prior to 3 months of age should be revaccinated at weaning or 4-6 months of age. May cause injection site swelling. Annual booster is recommended. Does not contain M bovoculi

Pinkeye Shield x T4 (Elanco) Single dose protection against pinkeye caused by Moraxella bovis in cattle. Give 2 ml IM in the neck prior to the onset of pinkeye season. Annual booster is recommended. Does not contain M bovoculi

SolidBac Pinkeye IR/PR Implants for Cattle (Zoetis) Single dose protection against pinkeye caused by Moraxella bovis in cattle 3 months of age or older. Each pelleted implant dose contains a combination of immediate release (IR) and programmed release (PR) antigen pellets, and includes the antigen equivalent of two doses of Moraxella Bovis Bacterin. Give 1 dose SQ in the base of the ear or in the neck prior to the onset of pinkeye season. Annual booster is recommended. Requires SoliDoser delivery system. Does not contain M bovoculi

Moraxella Bovoculi (Addison Bio Labs) should be given in addition to traditionally available pinkeye vaccines which offer protection against Moraxella bovis. Conditionally licensed and requires authorization from your veterinarian. Needs booster in 21 days for optimum effectiveness.

Autogenous Pinkeye Vaccine custom made for use on your farm and contains strains of bacteria known to cause you problems. Requires swab sampling of active cases of pinkeye. May contain both M bovis and/or M bovoculi. Ask your veterinarian about creating a custom vaccine.

*available in combination with 7 way blackleg

06/12/2018

PINKEYE BLUES!
Judging from the demand for Draxxin and darts this must be a pretty severe pinkeye year. One can only speculate why pinkeye has hit so hard. Though an infectious condition usually caused by Moraxella bovis, and more recently the particularly pesky Moraxella bovoculi, other factors contribute to the development and spread of this dreaded disease. Face flies can both irritate the eyes setting up a better likelihood for infection and then spread the bacteria for one animal to another as they dine on the delicious eye fluids. Tall grass with seed heads not only serves as an irritant to the eyes but also offers a place for the aforementioned face flies to lie in wait for new victims.

This year’s fescue pastures went quickly from almost dormant to tall and headed out before they could be clipped or grazed down. The endophyte that produces the toxin associated with many fescue woes concentrates in the seed heads and they are certainly abundant. This endophyte toxin interferes with cattle immunity perhaps making them more susceptible to this and other infections. This sudden growth spurt could also have left the grass a lower quality and deficient in some of the essential nutrients which help the boost immune system such as Selenium, Vitamin A, and Copper.

Calves suffering from pinkeye weigh an average of 19.6 lbs less than healthy calves at weaning. In a 20-year review study, calves diagnosed with pinkeye weighed 19.6 pounds less at weaning than healthy calves, while another study showed the loss to pinkeye to be 36 to 40 pounds at weaning. Additionally, affected animals are often heavily discounted by buyers. So it’s lose lose all around.

Treating pinkeye is the most expensive least rewarding approach combating this malady. Prevention is certainly a better plan. A prevention program should include proper nutrition, pasture management, fly control, and timely vaccination. Now is a great time to have that discussion with your veterinarian about what will work best for your cattle operation.

04/27/2018

Get the most out your pasture!

04/27/2018

Get the most out of your pasture!

As the grazing season approaches, here are two variables that must be considered to properly estimate forage availability.

04/04/2018

Howdy Neighbors! Oklahoma Farm Report is home to Ron Hays - 'Ron on RON.' Radio Oklahoma Network keeps producers updated with ag news, reports, markets, sales and so much more!

04/02/2018

Judicious use of antibiotics is no longer just a good idea — it’s essential if we want to have antibiotics in our toolbox going forward. Here are 14 things to keep in mind when using antibiotics with your cattle.

03/28/2018

Calf needs colostrum within first 24 hours after birth.

03/21/2018

BANAMINE® TRANSDERMAL
(Flunixin Transdermal Solution)

THE FIRST FDA-APPROVED POUR-ON FOR PAIN CONTROL IN CATTLE.
Patented delivery eliminates the need for intravenous (IV) administration. Using pour-on application to reduce fever in cattle caused by BRD or pain due to foot rot aligns with industry efforts to continuously improve animal care and mitigate pain.

03/13/2018

In order to establish “herd” immunity every farm needs an individual plan. There is no program that fits everyone. There are some things common to all operations. Herd immunity begins with proper immunization and management of females entering the herd. Whether cows are purchased or raised and retained into the breeding herd, the time to immunize replacement females is prior to placement into the breeding herd.
Basic Vaccination Schedule
Calves: Birth to 3 months of age
E. coli
Rota Corona
M. hemolytica
IBR/PI3/BRSV (intranasal)

Calves 2-6 months of age
Clostridials (7way Blackleg)
IBR/PI3,BRSV (modified live virus)
Lepto
H. somni
Mannheimia/Pasteurella

Weaned Calves and Open Replacement Heifers
At weaning or upon arrival
Clostridials (7way Blackleg)
IBR/PI3,BVD, BRSV (modified live virus)
Lepto
Vibrio
H. somni
Mannheimia/Pasteurella
Brucellosis

2-4 weeks post weaning/arrival
Clostridials (7way Blackleg)
IBR/PI3,BVD, BRSV (modified live virus)
Lepto
Vibrio
H. somni
Mannheimia/Pasteurella

Purchases Cows: Upon arrival
Clostridials (7 way blackleg)
IBR/PI3,BRSV (Killed product if pregnant, MLV if open)
Lepto 5Hb
Vibrio
H. somni

3-4 weeks after arrival
Clostridials (7 way blackleg)
IBR/PI3,BRSV (Killed product if pregnant, MLV if open)
Lepto 5Hb
Vibrio
H. somni

Mature Cow Herd:
Booster:
Clostridials (7 way blackleg)
IBR/PI3,BRSV (Killed product if pregnant, MLV if open or have had MLV previously)
Lepto 5Hb
Vibrio
H. somni

30-60 Days prior to breeding
IBR/PI3,BRSV (Killed product if pregnant, MLV if open or have had MLV previously)
Lepto 5Hb
Vibrio
6-8 weeks before calving:
E coli
Rota corona
Salmonella

03/08/2018

Diseases to vaccinate every cow herd against during weaning and/or quarantine
Disease Organism Common Name
Leptospirosis Lepto L5 Hb
Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis IBR
Parainfluenza 3 PI3
Bovine Virus Diarrhea BVD (types 1,1b, 2)
Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus BRSV
Campylobacteriosis Vibrio
Histophilus somnus H. somni
Clostridials Blackleg vaccine (7 way, 8 way +- tetanus)
Brucellosis (during weaning only) Bangs
Diseases to consider including in a herd vaccination program
Escherichia coli E coli
Rota-Corona virus Corona or Rota Corona
Clostridium perfringens Type A C perfringens Type A
Mannheimia hemolytica Mannheimia(formerly pasteurella)
Pasteurella multocida Multocida
Salmonella

03/01/2018

CALLING THE SHOTS
Well, we have almost made it through winter (at long last), and we are definitely looking forward to getting our cattle out of the mud and onto grass. Grazing cattle is what we do best around here. Feed costs are lower, less labor, healthier environment, and it’s just plain exciting to watch them turning grass into pounds of nutritious and profitable beef.
But with the spring turnout come the important management steps that help the cattle do their very best. One of the most important steps is making sure they have the right vaccines at the right time.
Why vaccinate? Because there are “disease germs” out there (as my mentor Dr. Harry Price used to say). Diseases that can rob you of your animals’ optimum performance. Diseases that spread from cow to cow, or are waiting in the environment to infect the unprotected.
There are diseases which are challenges to all classes of cattle. They can interfere with the very survival and development of cattle. These include those challenges that cause death, re**rd development and growth, or substantially reduce performance. Blackleg and BRD come to mind. All cattle must be protected against these!
There are disease that interfere with reproductive performance of the animal or place the fetus of a pregnant female at risk. Lepto, Vibrio, IBR, BVD etc. fall in this category. Make sure the breeding herd is protected with the right vaccines.
There are diseases that are specific challenges to the newborn or very young calf. The calf is comes out of a very warm and sterile environment and hits a world of bad weather and germs just waiting to take him out. Scours and respiratory disease are examples here. That first milk from the mama cow, the colostrum, should be loaded with the immunity that help the calf fight off these threats starting at day one. In most cases the best way to protect the calf is to vaccinate the cow for these diseases early enough for her to produce and pass plenty of protection to the calf. Sometimes treatment of the newborn calf with certain vaccines or immune products is also appropriate.
One other important reason we vaccinate is to protect against disease challenges which we must either keep at a "subclinical" stage or prevent from being introduced into the herd. If we can have most of the animals in the herd properly immunized a vicious low down disease producing bug can’t get a foothold in the herd, and all are the better for it.
There are a core set of vaccines that all cattle should get and then there are vaccines which might be appropriate on a given farm or set of animals but not necessarily all. So which are which? Stay tuned for the next post.

02/22/2018

Grass tetany is a concern for producers during the spring crazy months. Here are five tips to prevent and treat grass tetany in the beef herd.